Common Conditions

Estrogen, Metabolic Syndrome, and Erectile Function

A control group of rabbits was fed a standard rabbit diet. A treatment group received a high-fat diet designed to induce metabolic syndrome. The treatment group was then divided into two subgroups. One group was given tamoxifen; the other received testosterone.

As the rabbits in the high-fat diet group developed symptoms of metabolic syndrome, the two subgroups also developed a sex steroid imbalance. One group had low testosterone levels; the other had high E2 levels.

The researchers found that E2 had more of a negative impact on the rabbits’ erectile function. In turn, symptoms of metabolic syndrome improved in the rabbits treated with testosterone. These rabbits saw their E2 levels normalize as well.

Tamoxifen also helped restore erectile function for the rabbits given a high fat diet, as it increased testosterone levels.